There are a lot of recipes for Red Velvet chocolate cake and possibly similar to mine although i do believe i have adapted it for my family’s tastes. This would be a perfect cake for Valentines day but you might want to halve the recipe. I made this a three tier cake which would serve about 12 to 14 people. I know when i cook this a small cake just wont surfice the many hungry mouth’s

Ingredients

1 1-oz. bottle red food color

3 rounded tbsp cocoa

100g softened butter

40 ml grape seed oil or vegetable oil

3 beaten eggs

360g sugar

1 tbsp strong coffee powder/granules

350ml buttermilk

420g cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 tsp white vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

Procedure

Grease 3 8″ sandwich tins for three layers or 2x 9″ or 10″ for 2 layers,

preheat your oven to 350f/180c,160 fan assisted

In a bowl, mix red food coloring, coffee, vanilla and cocoa until the all are completely dissolved, set to one side.

Sift flour ,baking powder and salt and set to one side.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy, add the beaten eggs , then the cocoa coloring mix. Beat well then add the buttermilk and continue to beat for another 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix baking soda and vinegar until combined. Add to batter, and beat for 10 seconds no longer. Divide the mixture evenly between your cake tins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to30 to minutes or until the cake springs back when touched lightly .

Cool slightly, then remove from pans to cool on a cake racks.. Evenly divide batter between the prepared pans.

You can use any cream,butter cream or cream cheese frosting that you prefer but this is the one i use.

Cream Cheese frosting

1 Kg soft cream cheese, the better quality you can buy, the better it will taste

pinch of salt

140g melted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

400g confectioners sugar

Procedure

Start off with an electric mixer if you have one it makes it that bit easier. Blend together cream cheese,salt, butter,half the sugar, vanilla and beat till smooth.

Start adding the rest of the sugar and mixing by hand until its all incorporated and looks fluffy.

Use 1/4 of the frosting to sandwich the three cakes. Use 1/2 of the remaining to coat the top and sides of the cake and put it on a cold place to allow the frosting to set. If you attempt the coating in one go you will find red crumbs mingling with the frosting. When ready, maybe 1 hour later coat the top and sides again using up all the frosting.

Have a dose of what life is really like living here – from Turkish in 1000 easy lessons to learning the secrets to making the perfect kebab! Highs or lows this is our random observations from the melting pot of crazy that is my life in Mersin.